Retrospective exhibition of Boris Ljubičić “Circle & Square / Place & Time”

The Red History Museum and Dubrovačka baština ltd. invite you to a large retrospective exhibition of the famous Croatian designer Boris Ljubičić called “Square& Circle / Place & Time” in  Lazareti – Creative Hub of Dubrovnik (lazarettos II and III).

The exhibition remains open until September 18, 2023. and can be viewed on weekdays until 3:00 p.m., on Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

We are looking forward to your arrival!

Boris Ljubičić is a rare Croatian designer who can be said to be known to a wide audience, and not only as a name, but many will probably be able to name at least one or two things from their surroundings that he designed (e.g. logos of the Mediterranean Games and Croatian Radiotelevision), and some for which he advocates (proposal for integrated visual
identity and flag of Croatia). There are many other graphic designers who have shaped a noticeable part of our visual environment, but I am not sure that in Croatia there’s anyone has
designed so much – his work is continuously present almost on an everyday level, and in such a wide range of contexts and applications.

This mainly refers to Ljubičić’s logos and visual identities for institutions, companies, brands, organizations and events and includes everything from media such as the Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT, 1993 / 1999) and HINA (1990); through state institutions such as the Ministry of Culture (2005) and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (1998); cultural institutions such as the Museum of Arts and Crafts (1995), Matica hrvatska (2007) and the Museum Documentation Center; business entities such as the Zagreb Fair (1993), the factory Labud (1980), Franck (1989) and the company SMS (1993 / 2002); financial institutions such as Splitska banka (1984), Croatia banka (1989); scientific institutions such as the Ruđer Bošković Institute (2009) and the Miroslav Krleža Lexicographic Institute (1997); clothing brands such as YASSA (1974 / 1984); musical events such as the last Eurovision Song Contest where Croatia competed as part of Yugoslavia (1990); sports events of high importance such as the Mediterranean Games (the logo was designed in 1976 for the VIII Mediterranean Games which were held in Split in 1979, but adopted as the official symbol of the entire event), the European Athletics Championship (1990); political parties (Croatian People’s Party, 1992 / 2000), strategic national organizations such as the Croatian Tourist Board (1995 / 2015) and the Croatian Auto Club (1995 / 1998) and some of the largest and
longest-lasting national cultural events such as the Zagreb Music Biennial (1980) and the Dubrovnik Summer Festival (1984).

A large number of the logos and visual identities mentioned above are still in use today, and even those that are not have become part of our collective memory – people remember them very fondly. The same can be said about Ljubičić’s numerous posters – in addition to those associated with some of the above-mentioned events, some of the most famous are Ljubičić’s anti-war posters from the first half of the 1990s – and in a somewhat larger measure for product packagings, especially those designed in the 1970s and 1980s for the detergent brands of the Labud factory, for which he also designed the visual identity (detergents Čarli, Meri Merino, Peresam, Lind, etc.). Regardless of the medium, of the scope of a particular project, the breadth of application or the visibility of the design, all of Ljubičić’s works are extremely ambitious. There are no routine designs made to get the job done and move on – they are extremely succinct in terms of communication and designed to tell us important things without embellishment and without delay. They are at the same stimulating, rich in meaning, and made to tell us something new, different and unexpected. In Ljubičić’s works, we find exciting encounters between seriousness and provocative humor.

Also, as much as they are focused on a (locally) specific moment, environment, context and meaning, they are almost always universally legible. This is probably one of the reasons why Ljubičić managed to gain international respect and reputation with works created exclusively in Croatia and for Croatian clients.

Text author: Marko Golub

Texts: Boris Ljubičić, Marko Golub, Koraljka Vlajo

Exhibition setup: Boris Ljubičić, Kristina Mirošević, Zrinka Lucianović

Organizers: Museum of Red History and Dubrovačka baština ltd. d.o.o.

Patronage: City of Dubrovnik, Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia,

City of Dubrovnik Tourist Board